James E. Emery

My primary interest is influencing governance to improve public health. I enjoy working at the intersection of public health and other disciplines (e.g., public policy, public administration, and urban planning). Specifically I'm interested in how health-promotive policies are formulated, how communities are designed for healthy living, and how citizens can influence public processes and public spaces. With my colleagues on the "Healthy Solutions" team, we bring research methods to public health practice. You can visit the team website at:
http://www.unc.edu/healthysolutions/

Current projects:

* Workshops on Changing Policy and Built Environments: I am the lead developer and facilitator of a competency-based curriculum on policy change. The "Shaping Policy for Health" curriculum is sponsored by the Directors of Health Promotion and Education and funded by the CDC. The curriculum includes both 4-hour and 2-day courses that include topics like: Problem definition; Policy analysis; Advocacy; Influencing bureaucracy; and Evaluation.

* Training of Trainers in Policy Change: I am part of a team that will be training new Trainers to deliver the Shaping Policy for Health curriculum to local, state, federal and non-profit professionals.

* Technical Assistance: As part of the "Healthy Solutions" team, I help provide technical assistance to agencies, non-profit organizations, and foundations who promote health through policy/environmental change strategies.

* Walking/Bicycling Environments: I've developed methods and faciltiate workshops helping communities audit the walkability and bikeability of their local streets. These audit tools help communities strategically plan an approach to improve their physical environment. Audit materials are available at: http://www.unc.edu/~jemery/WABSA

* Environmental Justice: As part of a team, I've helped assess the perceptions of professionals working on environmental health issues, including attorneys, government officials, and scientific researchers. We are continuing to develop educational materials and documentary training tools for dissemination at conferences, professional meetings, and workshops. We are developing manuscripts for professional journals. Most materials are available on the website: http://www.ExchangeProject.unc.edu

Outside of the public health arena, I am interested in exploring the potential for public policy to enhance civic involvement in the policy process.